It is common when packing a portable cooler for a picnic or other event to include large containers of beverages. While twelve-ounce cans are well-suited for use in a cooler, many people, including small children, cannot or do not want to consume an entire twelve-ounce beverage. Accordingly, one and two liter bottles of beverages which are typically sold in cylindrical-shaped plastic containers are often preferable to the aluminum cans. One of the problems associated with using these containers is storing them in a portable cooler. Normally, they are placed at the bottom or middle of the cooler and ice is filled in all around and over them. Once the container is removed from the portable cooler, in order to dispense a serving of the beverage, it can be quite difficult to return the containers into the cooler, especially if the cooler is packed with a lot of ice.
There have been attempts to provide structures for the inside of portable coolers for segregating articles inside the coolers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,581 discloses a cooler insert having a rectangular tubular shape with a set of rails on the inside for supporting sliding shelves. The insert does not accommodate different numbers and sizes of bottles sufficiently as the shape of the insert cannot adjust to the number or shape of the bottles. Accordingly, there can be wasted space and inefficient cooling.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,165 discloses a food organizing insert for portable ice chests. The insert has some drawbacks, including the space required by the planar surface and the legs for this type of insert. Also, if only a portion of the insert is needed, the remaining portion takes up space that could be available for additional ice to be placed in the ice chests. Finally, the costs of manufacture associated with this product are significant due to the number of parts and the assembly of the parts.
Accordingly, what is needed is an insert for organizing articles inside a portable cooler that is adapted for use with one and two liter bottles and that has a modular design for ease of use and ease of manufacture.